Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to brackets for attaching patio covers or other structures or attachments to a house or other building.
Background Art
Note that the following discussion may refer to a number of publications and references. Discussion of such publications herein is given for more complete background of the scientific principles and is not to be construed as an admission that such publications are prior art for patentability determination purposes.
A patio cover, such as the one shown in FIG. 1, is typically attached to the roof or wall of a house or other building. The most common method of attaching the support beam to the house is via standard “L” brackets, shown in FIG. 2, which have many disadvantages. They must be bent to match the roof pitch on site, they are weak, unsightly and are needed at 24″ on center connections. They also are typically attached to the building's wall or fascia, which affects appearance and requires the removal of existing rain gutters.